The other night, our roommate saw us looking through real estate books, and got nervous we were going to buy a house soon and she’d need to find a place to live. I had mixed feelings about this because it made me feel good that she wasn’t planning to leave anytime in the near future (we can’t afford this apartment on our own), but it also made me feel bad because I do hope we’re able to buy a house sometime after we’re married–I’m thinking a year or so–so we can save up some kind of down payment after all the wedding expenses are taken care of.

Our distant timeline doesn’t stop us from looking–it helps us get an idea of what we each like, what’s available in our price range, etc. Also, staying here allows me to more easily commute to work, avoiding traffic, finding (and paying for) parking in a garage. Not to mention the fact that living here means we don’t have to pay for things like a new stove, and can pay rent and utilities for less than what we’d probably be paying for a mortgage. It’s also really expensive and a pain in the ass to move, and I want to do it as few times as possible. Ideally, this means living in our current apartment until the stars align and we’re able to buy a house.

I never understood people who only look at a few houses and pick one that doesn’t seem to actually fit who they are–either too much or too little house/yard/etc, or it needs so much work they are constantly making the place into their “dream home” when the dream home could have been a closer & easier reality (some people are into that and kudos to them, but know that when you’re looking). There are some things Ellie and I want that CAN be done after the fact–a deck or permanent fire pit or a privacy fence. But there are also many things we know will be deal-breakers: a 2nd floor with too much of a pitch to be comfortable when standing, under a 1/2 acre of land, or a street that’s so busy all the time we have trouble pulling onto it.

This is why we look at real estate magazines, and have recently started using online sites to look at more houses. Ellie drove by an interesting house once, and we always turn to look when we see a “For Sale” sign. But we’ve yet to speak with an agent or someone at the bank knowing that we are still in “wishful thinking” mode. It actually makes me feel good to look at these houses and know that someday one of them will be my home; that I can look without commitment for a little while longer.